Step #1: Cleanse your skin.

Any good beauty routine starts with your skin. If your base isn't looking good, no amount of makeup can cover all the problem areas. If you are past puberty and have breakouts, stress is probably a factor but the most likely reason is that you are cheating yourself on the most important step of your beauty routine. Cleansing your skin is paramount to looking your best. Your beauty routine starts before you go to bed. Take off all the makeup. Get a good makeup remover and use it every night no matter how late you are going to bed or whether you are wearing makeup or not. The environment leaves pollutants on the skin that can damage your pores and overall look if left too long. Use a makeup remover then wash with a gentle cleanser. This helps to keep your pores clear and prevent the effects of aging rather than accelerating them. Repeat the cleansing process again in the morning to remove any leftovers from sleep.

Most people do not need to exfoliate if they are cleansing their skin properly, but if you are having issues washing your face before bed, at least exfoliate the skin on your face once a week.

Step #2: Tone and moisturize your skin.

Every time you cleanse your skin, follow it up with toning and moisturizing. Even gentle cleansers strip your skin of moisture, so a toner and moisturizer are important to keeping your skin hydrated. A toner returns your skin's pH balance back to normal which means it isn't too oily or too dry and it is ready to keep bacteria, pollution, and aging at bay. Moisturizer does exactly what it sounds like. It adds moisture back to the skin that has been stripped by cleansing. It also helps seal in the toner and get your skin's pH balance back on track. Oily skin benefits from toning and moisturizers as well, so don't skip this step just because you have oily skin.

Step #3: Sunscreen.

The second most important step to your beauty routine is to use sunscreen. Wearing sunscreen has some obvious benefits like reducing your risk for skin cancer, but it also helps you to prevent the effects of aging or at least doesn't allow the sun to accelerate them by damaging your skin. Apply sunscreen every morning. Using a sunscreen of SPF 15 keeps the benefits of preventing premature aging and lowering the risk of skin cancer, but is also allows you the benefit of not having a pasty pale face.

Step #4: Scrub your teeth.

Nothing hurts your look more than a yellowing or rotting smile. Keep your teeth and breath fresh by giving them a good scrub every night and every morning. Adding a third time at lunch will add that much more benefit to a bright smile and fresh breath. For a whiter smile use an overnight whitening product that will not make your teeth sensitive. Having a bright smile to show off helps you look and feel your best.